Born on 24th July 1919 at village Seruine, Bilaspur District in Himachal Pradesh to Shri Nihala Ram. During the Second World War, the British launched a major recruitment drive to enlist more and more youths into the army. Bhandari Ram seeing adventure in the Army Service also got recruited. In Jalandhar he was appointed a Sepoy in 10th Baluch Regiment on July 24, 1941. Bhandari Ram got military training in Karanchi. He was moved to one of the Dogra Regiments as Baluch Regiment was merged into 8th Dogra Regiment. He served for different periods in Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Madras (now Chennai), Kalicut, Coimbatore and Tirucharapalli, before being sent to the war front for active service in 1944, when he had completed over three years in the military service. His placement was on Chittgaon front in Burma, most of which had been occupied by the Japanese invaders.

On November 22, 1944, a detachment led by Major Usman Khan had been entrusted the task of wiping out the Japanese. Major Usman Khan selected four tested Jawans who were ever ready to sacrifice their lives for accomplishing the task assigned to them. The four tough fighters were Bashir Ahmad, Mushtaq Khan, Shamsher Singh and Bhandari Ram. Ordering them to stand up in formation, the Major explained them the geophysical situation of the hill and areas around it.

Then the Major said that sepoy Bhandari Ram would try to go up to the hill top all alone. The height of the Office Hill is only about 80 feet, but you have to go up towards its top straight. This is a very tough task. If he reached a certain height and found it feasible he would lower a stout rope down to the stream and pull up his three comrades from there by this rope one after the other. Sepoy Bhandari Ram would start his straight climb towards the top all alone. The rest would wait near the stream till he drops his rope to take them up to the top.

It took an hour and a half for Bhandari Ram to reach near the peak after an arduous climb. He quickly surveyed the surrounding environs and after taking some steps, he found a place where the hill side was perpendicular. It was an ideal place to drop down the rope and pull up his waiting comrades. Once all the four were together close to the peak they took rest for a while and all along consulted each other on the next step. Basir Ahmad had a set of binoculars with him. With its help he closely surveyed the environs and selected a point, where there was a Japanese bunker. He showed this bunker to his comrades and each of them saw it with binoculars. While consultations were continuing, sharp-eyed Mushtaq reminded them that in these tricky environs the Jap could be lying anywhere ready to ambush. Agreeing with Mushtaq, Bashir said that the enemy could be hiding in the thick foliage of the trees. He then looked closely on tree tops through his binoculars. Suddenly he exclaimed but in a whisper. " I see a Jap sitting on the tree facing us. I suppose he has spotted us and would attack us any time now." He had yet to complete his sentence when a bullet passed hissing close to his ears. He was lucky. Even before the four could react, the Japanese launched a barrage of machine gunfire. Finding themselves entrapped the four Indian soldiers took refuge behind rocks.

Seeing no other way out, the four Indians started crawling towards the peak moving carefully amidst the tall grass that grew everywhere. After strenuous struggle they reached a point which was barely 25 feet away from the Japanese post. Immediately the enemy directed machine gunfire on the four intruders. It was impossible to defend oneself against this unending hail of bullets. Bhandari Ram was the first to be struck by these bullets. Some bullets pierced through his left shoulder and left ankle-joint. As a result he lost consciousness. But his tough body help him to regain his senses within a few minutes. But the biggest shock awaited Bhandari Ram. When he opened his eyes and looked around, he found that all his three comrades had fallen martyrs to the Japanese gunfire. There bodies riddled with the enemy bullets were letting out torrents of blood. His own body was profusely bleeding and could not stand up, leave alone walk. Still he would not fall alive into the hands of the enemy, instead he wanted to avenge the death of his comrades. His fast working brain decide his next step. He lay on the ground in such a manner that he looked dead like his slain colleagues.

After some time he saw through his partially closed eyes that a batch of Jap soldiers was coming towards him. As they came close, their facial expression showed that they believed all the four Indian soldiers who had breached their fortress, were dead. Even then they were moving forward with great caution. As they closed on him Bhandari Ram feigned death quite effectively. The Jap seeing the four Indian soldiers lying dead, started to dance, forgetting the elementary duty of searching the enemy's dead body.

This provide Bhandari Ram the chance he was waiting for. Avoiding the eyes of the dancing Jap soldiers he crawled slowly and noiselessly and succeeded a reaching a relatively safer place. With his self-confidence back he got out two HE-36 hand grenades and threw them on the Japanese bunker. With deafening blasts the hand grenades destroyed the Japanese bunker. Bhandari Ram saw many Japs flying high in the air, most with torn limbs and falling on the ground either dead or critically wounded. He had avenged the death of his three comrades. Then he saw a Jap soldier with machine gun racing towards him. Before the Jap could shoot his machine gun on him, Bhandari Ram shot him in his head. The Jap fell dead with his machine gun.

Taking advantage of this, Bhandari Ram now in his full fighting gear despite wounds moved forward firing with his revolver, and reached near the bunker where the dead Jap lay with his machine gun. He capture the machine gun and without loss of time he started shooting the remaining Japs as soon as he spotted them, killing almost everyone of them. By coincidence the time was 9 hours, 9 minutes and 9 seconds, the time fixed for attacking the Japanese hill top fortified post. The attack already started by a lone and wounded dauntless fighter. Then suddenly the Japs hurtled two hand grenades which fell and burst very close to Bhandari Ram, who had already suffered serious bullet wounds. The blast badly hit both his legs. He fell down again. Still he continued to fire his machine gun killing more Japanese. But then the serious burns he had suffered rendered him unconscious for the second time. The vanguard of this Indian force arrived at the nick of time, just when Bhandari Ram had fallen senseless. This reinforcement killed the remaining enemy soldiers. When the important post was fully occupied, it was then that the senior officer saw that Bhandari Ram had achieved an astonishing feat in face of dozens of Japs armed with deadly weapons, mostly machine guns. It was unprecedented, unmatched, unique-a miracle achieved by sheer Bhandari Ram had created a rare legend of bravery, persistence, determination and fighting spirit. Seeing no other way the officers ordered his immediate dispatch to this nearest medical centre. Two stout Pathan sepoys lifted him and carried him there after he was given first aid.

When he was discharged from the Military Hospital in Bareily on February 15, 1945, Bhandari Ram was granted a long leave for resting and fully recouping. Then one day he got a telegram from the Military H.Q. instructing him to come to New Delhi on March 9, 1945 with his family and receive the Victoria Cross. Two days later he got a letter which gave full details about the ceremony etc.

Bilaspur, then a princely state, was ruled by Raja Anand Chand. When the Raja Anand Chand got the news about a brave subject of his reign conferred upon with world famous award for bravery, he came to visit Bhandari Ram at his village home. After felicitating the great warrior, his highness took it upon himself to take Bhandari Ram and his family to Delhi and personally escort him to the presentation ceremony. He was to travel with the Raja to Delhi in his royal coach. On the morning of March 9, 1945 Governor General (Viceroy) Lord Wavell was personally decorated Bhandari Ram with Victoria Cross medal.

After the presentation of Victoria Cross to Bhandari Ram in Delhi, Raja Anand Chand on their return to Bilaspur held a lavish function on March 18, 1945 to honour hero Bhandari Ram, which was attended by thousands of people. In this function the Raja put Royal turban, gold embroidered, on the head of Bhandari Ram, applied Tilak of sandal wood paste on his forehead and then offering felicitation presented him with one thousand rupee silver coins on a large silver plate. The Raja also gifted the hero with ten acres of agricultural land in his own village.

The so many deadly wounds and acute burning suffered by Bhandari Ram in that daring hill-top operation had caused such permanent damage to his physique that he was no more fit for active military service. But in consideration of his inspiring and exceptional bravery and intrepid daring, the army decide to continue him in service with full pay and other allowances admissible. He was posted in a office which he was to attend only two days a week and handle files. On other working days he was taken to different platoons where he lectured the jawans and officers. This was done to inspire other army men. Soon he was promoted to the rank of Subedar Major. Later he was made an honorary Caption.

In June 1948 Bhandari Ram was married to Champa Devi, daughter of a wood contractor Kanha Ram. In the following years he became a father of six children. His two daughters, Giriraj Kumari and Krishna Kumari are married and well settled. But in 1966 Bhandari Ram suffered a grave tragedy. His eldest son Ramesh died of a bullet wound when he was checking his father's rifle and a bullet got fired accidentally and wounded him fatally. The boy was at the time a class nine student. His second son Suresh is employed by State Bank of India and presently posted in Bilaspur. His third son Joginder Kumar lives in the native village and manages the family lands. The Youngest son, Satish is serving in the army and is presently posted with 65 Engineering Unit in Ambala.